Means for draining oil from crank cases



Oct. 10, 1933. w. L. JUDSON, JR

MEANS FOR DRAINING OIL FROM CRANK CASES Filed Nov. 17, 1928 :Jvm'ntov m iZiZ Zm L. Ja clsonfzz Q wfiw.

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Patented Oct. 10, 1933 UNITED STATES MEANS FOR DRAINING 01L FROM CRANK CASES William L. Judson, Jr., Buflalo, N. Y.

Application November 17, 1928 Serial No. 320,188

1 Claim. (Cl. 137-34) This invention relates to improvements in means for draining oil from the crank cases of internal combustion engines of automobiles.

Heretofore the oil has usually been drained through a normally closed opening in the bottom of the crank case and the necessity of avoiding any projections below the crank case which might be stripped by obstructions in the road has dictated the use of a threaded plug as the closure means. In order to drain the oil it has been necessary for the mechanic to crawl under the car and remove the plug with a wrench and when the oil has been drained again to crawl under the car and replace the plug. This procedure is very laborious and inconvenient; in inclement weather it is unhealthful; it is attended with the liability of the mechanic being burned or scalded if the oil which pours through the drain opening happens to be hot; it embodies no provision whatever for. controlling the flow of the oil; and it involves the possibility of the plug being lost or mislaid with resultant inconvenience and loss of time.

The principal object of the present invention is to overcome the above objections and to pro-- vide a simply constructed drainage means which is easily accessible under the hood, embodies no removable parts, may be operated in a moment of time to open or close the drainage opening, which provides constant control for the flow of the oil, and in addition to its use for the drainage of the oil may also be used for the purpose of taking a sample of the oil to check its viscosity.

A further object is to provide improved drainage means which is readily attachable to standard crank case constructions and which embodies a one piece or functionally one piece valve and stem of economical form and which may be applied at low cost.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 of which is a vertical sectional view showing the improved oil drainage means in relation to the crank case, Figure 2 being a. sectional view taken on the line 45 22 of Figure 1.

The crank case is indicated at C and may consist of the usual upper and lower halves 1 and 2 secured together by bolted flanges 3. According to the invention the crank case has an oil drainage opening located adjacent its bottom wall 4 and extending through one of its side walls. This opening is preferably formed in a depressed extension 5 of the bottom 4 by which a drainage duct 6 is provided. The extension 5 may be integral or in the case of an engine to which the improvement is to be applied as an accessory it may be secured to the underside of the crank case and below an opening to be provided in the crank case bottom. The drainage opening of the extension 5 is threaded to receive the threaded 0 extension 8 of a laterally projecting drain spout 7. The flow of the oil through the spout 7 is controlled by a valve in the form of a downwardly tapered turning plug 9 having a suitable seating in said spout, this plug being provided at its low- 5 er: end with an axial extension 10 which projects through an aperture in the bottom of the valve casing and carries a suitable spring 11 by which the valve is urged toward its seat. The spout 7 has at its upper side an opening through which the upper end of the plug 9 projects and beyond the spout said plug is provided with an elongated axial stem 12 terminating at its upper end in a suitable handle 13.

The stem 12 is in one piece with or otherwise 15 rigidly connected to the plug 9 and is of such length that the handle 13 at the upper end thereof is conveniently accessible to the hand of the mechanic when the hood is opened. Near its upper end said stem passes through a supporting bracket 14 which may be conveniently secured by one of the bolts of an adjacent flange connection 3 between the halves of the crank case or which may be otherwise secured to the crank case in any suitable manner. Below the bracket 35 14 the stem 12 is fitted with a torsion spring 15 connected at its upper end 19 to said bracket and at its lower end 20 to the stem 12, the said spring being held under compression between the bracket 14 and a thrust collar 16 fixed on said stem. The spring 15 holds the valve 9 in normally closed position and serves the further purpose of counteracting any possible'vibration of the stem and valve.

The bracket 14 has in its upper face adjacent the stem 12 a recess 1'7 which provides shoulders for co-operation with a stop pin 18 to limit the movement of the stem to the quarter turn corresponding to the limits of the closed and open positions of the valve.

The drawing shows the plug 9 in its normal closed position. When it is desired to drain the oil the hood is raised, a pan is placed under the spout 7 and the operator merely reaches for the handle 13 and gives it a quarter turn whereupon the oil pours from the spout into the receiving pan until the crank case has been completely emptied. At such time, by releasing the handle 13, the valve 9 is restored to its normal position and the crank case is refilled in the usual mannor. The extreme ease with which the plug 9 may be manipulated makes the drainage means available for use in taking small samples of the oil from time to time in order that its viscosity may be checked. Such checking of the viscosity of the oil is recommended by automobile manuiacturers and service stations but is practically never resorted to because of the inconvenience of getting at the ordinary drainage plug and the impossibility of controlling the flow. Consequently oil is frequently used which has been so burned out or thinned out by gasoline dilution that it is not in fit condition for use and on the other hand oil is frequently drained and dis carded when its condition is good so that it could be used for a further period. The present device thus not merely facilitates the drainage of the oil but by its use for checking the viscosity of the oil, a use which can be practiced with the same convenience as that of turning on and oil an ordinary water valve, insures that the oil may be used for the full period for which its condition is good and will not be used when its condition becomes unfit.

Since the valve 9 is in the form of a turning plug the opening in it for the escape of oil may be formed by a simple drilling operation. Since the valve 9 and the stem 12 are in one piece there are no parts to get loose or rattle. The spring 15, of course, automatically closes the valve and thus insures against loss of oil by leakage. All

that is required for the fitting oi the attachment is the application of the spout 7, the fitting of the plug 9 in the spout, and the fitting oi the bracket 14 to the flange connection Iollowed by the mounting of the spring 11.

Having fully described my invention, I claim:

A drainage fitting adapted to be attached to the crank case of an internal combustion engine and in communication therewith through a drainage opening iormed in one of the side walls of and adjacent the bottom of the crank case comprising a laterally projecting spout fitting in said opening, a valve plug fitted in said spout and rotatableto open and closed positions whereby the flow of oil through the same may be controlled, said plug having rigid therewith an upwardly extending elongated stem terminating in a handle, a bracket secured to said engine above said spout and in which said stem is journaled, said bracket being provided with stops which correspond to the open and closed positions of said plug, means carried by said stem for cooperating with said stops to limit the movement of said plug between said open and closed positions, a spring for normally holding said plug in its closed position and means carried by said stem and co-operating with said bracket for holding said spring under compression, thereby counteracting any possible vibration of the stem and valve;

WILLIAM L. JUDSON, JR. 

